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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · root · bowl · fan · row · sharp · pound · pitch

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. root — of a word
  6. pitch — completely
  7. root — the cause
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. row — a line
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. court — for sport
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com